The Adventure of the Suspicious Volcano
The Adventure of the Suspicious Volcano is the 10th short story in the collection Biggles - Charter Pilot , published in July 1943. This was first published in “Boy’s Own Paper” in July 1942 under the title Mexican Man-Hunt. In Charter Pilot, this story is preceded by The Adventure of the Luminous Lily and followed by The Adventure of the Haunted Creek. The story was adapted in French for a comic strip and published in an album in the King in November 1970 where it had the title Le volcan suspect. In this adaptation, the characters of Biggles and his friends are replaced by Gimlet King, Cub Peters and Dr Duck. Synopsis Complaints about the summer heat prompts Ginger to recount the story of the time when Biggles and co. were in Mexico with Dr Augustus Duck attempting to look for a volcano which was reportedly on the verge of erupting. Plot (click on expand to read) While travelling in South America Dr Duck wants to search for a volcano on the Pacific coast of Mexico which reports state is about to erupt even though it had been thought to be extinct for a long time. Biggles and co. land at a village near the volcano, named Xactapetl. The village seems full of people. Many had, it seems, abandoned their farms near the volcano in order to escape from the impending eruption. On their first reconnaissance flight over the volcano, Biggles and co. see nothing very interesting and Duck wants to call off the expedition. The volcano did not look like it would erupt soon. But Biggles, surprisingly, wants to stay and make another flight the next day. During the second flight something is heard hitting the aircraft. After landing, they discover that it is a bullet! During the night, someone throws something which almost hits Biggles. It is a message wrapped around a stone telling them to leave or die. Biggles chases after and catches the messenger. They tie him up and by threatening him with his own knife, persuade him to talk. He explains that he is a messenger of El Cuchillo, a bandit chief wanted terrorising the region with acts such as holding up trains and robbing farms. Biggles and co. had seen posters in the village offering 5,000 pesos for El Cuchillo's body, dead or alive. The captain-commandant of the local police arrives with a troop of men and Biggles hands the man over to him and arranges a plan to catch El Cuchillo. The next day the messenger is allowed to escape. Biggles and co. follow him from the air as he makes his way back to the volcano, revealing the entrance into El Cuchillo's hiding place. Biggles signals the information to the captain-commandant who is approaching the volcano and indicates the entrance with a flare. The bandits are all captured in the attack and the villagers ply Biggles and co. with lavish hospitality in gratitude. Biggles explains that he first got suspicious when he saw vegetation growing inside the crater--this could not happen if the volcano had been active. The bullet, of course, confirmed his suspicions. El Cuchillo had faked an impending eruption with dynamite and puffs of sulfur. This gave him a hiding place which one one else would dare to approach. In addition, he got an abundant supply of food from the abandoned farms nearby. Characters Narrated story *Biggles *Algy *Ginger *Dr Augustus Duck 666 Sqn personnel in preamble *Tug Carrington *Angus Mackail *Ferocity Ferris *Henry Harcourt *Taffy Hughes Aircraft *Wanderer (presumed - not mentioned specifically) Places Visited *Mexico **Xactapetl Research Notes References to the past Incongruities Chronology References Category:Short stories Category:Biggles short stories Category:Interwar era short stories